In the words of Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, losing defensemen Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalsi in the same offseason would have been "devastating."

The Red Wings have averted disaster -- their captain is coming back.

On Monday, Holland announced the signing of Lidstrom to a one-year contract extension, worth $6.2 million, according to an NHL source. It's the same salary he earned last season.

"The reason why it took so long, I wanted to make sure I found the motivation and was ready to commit to workouts over the summer to be ready for next season," Lidstrom said during a Monday conference call with reporters. "You have to be ready to have a long season, play at a high level and take everything into account. My motivation was the most important thing."

Lidstrom is in Las Vegas as one of the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, awarded each season to the NHL's top defensemen. Lidstrom was No. 1 on Sporting News' Norris Trophy ballot.

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Lidstrom, a 41-year-old Swede said, he was stunned by Rafalski's retirement after Detroit's loss to the San Jose Sharks in the second-round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Holland and coach Mike Babcock met with Lidstrom after Rafalski's retirement to make sure he knew how much they wanted him back. There was even more urgency with Rafalski gone.

Holland also let Lidstrom know ownership remained committed to winning a Stanley Cup and that the Red Wings would again be a team that spends as much as the salary cap will allow.

Last week, when Holland met with his pro scouts, Lidstrom let the Red Wings know he was leaning toward coming back. On Monday, it became official.

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Now, Holland can focus on replacing just one elite puck-moving defenseman, Rafalski. Holland plans on being aggressive in free agency, beginning July 1, and trade talks before Friday's draft are starting to heat up.

"Obviously teams out there know we have a need on defense and we have cap space," Holland said. "We're getting some calls that I didn't really have in the past."

The Red Wings are expected to be in the hunt for free agent defensemen such as the Vancouver Canucks' Kevin Bieksa and Christian Ehrhoff as well as the San Jose Sharks' Ian White and Montreal Canadiens' James Wisniewski.

Now, with Lidstrom coming back, the Red Wings can be a little more selective when filling out the defense.

"We're not just going out there looking to spend a bunch of money and have press conferences," Holland said. "We want to try to have players who fit our team and fit our system."